Cisco today announced the appointment of Abdelilah Nejjari as the new Managing Director for the Gulf region. Based in Dubai, he will oversee all the company’s operations across the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Yemen, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.

Abdelilah will be responsible for driving Cisco’s business growth and strategy, focusing on accelerating digital transformation for customers across the Gulf region, and working closely with Cisco's partner ecosystem.

Abdelilah brings over two decades of diverse experience in ICT and executive leadership to the role, including more than fifteen years with Cisco.

Most recently, he held the position of Cisco’s Partner Lead and Chief Operating Officer for Middle East and Africa, overseeing planning and executing Cisco’s operational policies, go-to-market strategies, and priorities in the region. He was also responsible for strengthening and nurturing Cisco’s relationship with its growing partner ecosystem.

Reem Asaad, Vice-President of Cisco Middle East and Africa said: “Cisco is deeply rooted in the Gulf countries and our commitment to support the region’s digital transformation has never been stronger. I am confident that Abdelilah’s expertise coupled with his leadership abilities will tremendously contribute to bolstering innovation in the region and bringing great value to our teams, customers, and partners.”

In his new role, Abdelilah will support Cisco’s customers in their digital journeys, focusing on business agility, unified IT, hybrid work and pivoting to cloud software and services, all underpinned with seamless customer experience and end-to-end cybersecurity.

Commenting on his appointment, Abdelilah said: “I am honored to be trusted with the opportunity to lead Cisco in the fast-growing Gulf region where governments are taking leading steps to drive the development of knowledge-based economies. I look forward to extending Cisco’s momentum across the region and supporting our customers and partners to seize the full potential of technology and accelerate their digital transformation.”